Port of Antwerp

Antwerp: Gateway to Europe

The port of Antwerp is a river port, reaching very deep into the hart of Europe and yet still accessible for the largest ocean vessels, operated by carriers who appreciate the very high performance of our port operators.

Since 1993 the European Union opened all the internal borders and created a one free market for goods and services.

These two facts made the port of Antwerp the best possible gateway to Europe, offering access to 60% of the European buying power, within a range of 450 km, reaching 50% of Europe’s GDP. This makes Antwerp a popular choice for all major importers to position their European distribution center (EDC).

No VAT prefinancing

Cargo for any destination in the EU, can be customs cleared by TCL upon arrival in Antwerp and on-forwarded to the final destination as free EU cargo, avoiding intermediary check points and the prefinancing of VAT.

Our and your clients can benefit of the possibility to receive their goods within 48 to 72 hours after unloading of the vessel, as free cargo, without having to prefinance the full amount of their national VAT, representing approximately 20% of the CIF goods value for most of the commodities.